It is well known that a signal having a waveform may have a therapeutic benefit when the signal is applied to a patient. For example, the therapeutic benefit to a patient may be a treatment that is provided to the patient. The therapeutic benefit or therapeutic treatment may include stimulation of a part of the body of the patient or treatment of a sudden cardiac arrest of the patient. Existing systems that apply a signal with a waveform to the patient often generate and apply a well-known signal waveform and do not provide much, or any, adjustability or variability of the signal waveform.
In the context of defibrillators or cardioverters, today's manual defibrillators deliver either an older style Monophasic Pulse (a single high energy single polarity pulse) or the now more common Biphasic Pulse (consisting of an initial positive high energy pulse followed by a smaller inverted negative pulse). Today's implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and wearable cardioverter defibrillators (WCDs) all deliver Biphasic Pulses with various pulse phase lengths, high initial starting pulse amplitude and various pulse slopes. Each manufacturer of a particular defibrillator, for commercial reasons, has their own unique and slightly different exact timing and shape of the biphasic pulse for their devices' pulses, although they are all based off of the standard biphasic waveform design. Multiple clinical studies over the last couple of decades have indicated that use of these variants of the biphasic waveform has greater therapeutic value than the older monophasic waveform does to a patient requiring defibrillation therapy and that these standard biphasic waveforms are efficacious at appreciably lower levels of energy delivery than the original monophasic waveforms, and with a higher rate of resuscitation success on first shock delivery.
Thus, almost all of the current defibrillator products that use a biphasic waveform pulse have a single high-energy reservoir, which, while simple and convenient, results in severe limitation on the range of viable pulse shapes that can be delivered. Specifically, the second (or Negative) phase of the Biphasic waveform is currently characterized by a lower amplitude starting point than the first (or Positive) phase of the Biphasic waveform, as shown in FIG. 4. This is due to the partial draining of the high-energy reservoir during delivery of the initial Positive phase and then, after inverting the polarity of the waveform so that the Negative phase is able to be delivered, there is only the same partially drained amount of energy remaining in the energy reservoir. This lower amplitude starting point constrains and causes the lower initial amplitude of the Negative phase of the waveform. The typical exponential decay discharge is shown by the Positive phase of the waveform shown in FIG. 4.
The standard biphasic pulse waveform has been in common usage in manual defibrillators and in AEDs since the mid-1990s, and still results in energy levels of anywhere from 120 to 200 joules or more being delivered to the patient in order to be efficacious. This results in a very high level of electrical current passing through the patient for a short period of time which can lead to skin and flesh damage in the form of burns at the site of the electrode pads or paddles in addition to the possibility of damage to organs deeper within the patient's body, including the heart itself. The significant amounts of energy used for each shock and the large number of shocks that these AED devices are designed to be able to deliver over their lifespan, has also limited the ability to further shrink the size of the devices.
WCDs generally need to deliver shocks of 150-200 joules in order to be efficacious, and this creates a lower limit on the size of the electrical components and the batteries required, and hence impacts the overall size of the device and the comfort levels for the patient wearing it.
ICDs, given that they are implanted within the body of patients, have to be able to last for as many years as possible before their batteries are exhausted and they have to be surgically replaced with a new unit. Typically ICDs deliver biphasic shocks of up to a maximum of 30-45 joules, lower than is needed for effective external defibrillation as the devices are in direct contact with the heart tissue of the patient. Subcutaneous ICDs, differ slightly in that they are not in direct contact with the heart of the patient, and these generally deliver biphasic shocks of 65-80 joules in order to be efficacious. Even at these lower energy levels there is significant pain caused to the patient if a shock is delivered in error by the device. Most existing devices are designed to last for between 5-10 years before their batteries are depleted and they need to be replaced.
Another, equally common type of defibrillator is the Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Rather than being implanted, the AED is an external device used by a third party to resuscitate a person who has suffered from sudden cardiac arrest. FIG. 9 illustrates a conventional AED 800, which includes a base unit 802 and two pads 804. Sometimes paddles with handles are used instead of the pads 804. The pads 804 are connected to the base unit 802 using electrical cables 806.
A typical protocol for using the AED 800 is as follows. Initially, the person who has suffered from sudden cardiac arrest is placed on the floor. Clothing is removed to reveal the person's chest 808. The pads 804 are applied to appropriate locations on the chest 808, as illustrated in FIG. 9. The electrical system within the base unit 802 generates a high voltage between the two pads 804, which delivers an electrical shock to the person. Ideally, the shock restores a normal cardiac rhythm. In some cases, multiple shocks are required.